Details Emerge of the Digital Manhunt for Man Who Sent "Seizure-Inducing&qu…

Wednesday, March 22, 2017 at four a.m.

Kurt Eichenwald on Good Morning America late final yr.

Youtube Day by day Media

Typically utilizing a burner telephone is not sufficient. That is a lesson discovered for John Rivello, the Maryland 29-yr-previous at present dealing with federal and state fees for sending a flashing GIF to Dallas journalist Kurt Eichenwald, who’s epileptic.

Rivello’s story begins together with his choice, someday within the winter of 2016, to harass Eichenwald on-line, based on federal courtroom paperwork unsealed this week. Rivello, the feds say, bought a Tracfone SIM card and did not register it to any identify. Then, utilizing an iPhone with that SIM, Rivello operated a Twitter account with the deal with @jew_goldstein, in accordance with the FBI.

On December 15, 2016, @jew_goldstein tweeted a flashing GIF at Eichenwald, who was a frequent critic of Donald Trump all through the 2016 presidential election. That GIF, in response to Eichenwald, triggered a seizure. Eichenwald’s spouse, in response to courtroom paperwork, needed to transfer Eichenwald away from his pc to cease the seizure. Then she tweeted again on the account now alleged to belong to Rivello.

@jew_goldstein That is his spouse, you brought on a seizure. I’ve your info and have referred to as the police to report the assault.

— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) December sixteen, 2016

Shortly thereafter, as reported by the Observer‘s Jim Schutze, Eichenwald filed a report with the Dallas Police Division’s cyber crimes unit. Quickly DPD and the FBI have been investigating the case, subpoenaing Twitter for @jew_goldstein’s account info. Utilizing a telephone quantity related to the account, regulation enforcement officers then went to AT&T, who advised them that, whereas the quantity was related to a burner SIM card quite than a reputation, it was tied to an iPhone.

That iPhone, in response to data offered to the FBI and DPD by Apple was tied to an iCloud account. That iCloud account, in flip, contained all of the proof each regulation enforcement businesses would wish to cost Rivello with cyber stalking and assault with a lethal weapon.

John Rivello together with his driver’s license.

Northern District of Texas

In response to federal courtroom data, Rivello’s iCloud account contained a photograph of Rivello holding his Maryland driver’s license. It additionally had the precise GIF he despatched to Eichenwald, a screenshot of the GIF despatched to @jew_goldstein by Eichenwald’s spouse and screengrabs of articles about strobing lights inflicting seizures in these with epilepsy.

Rivello’s account additionally featured screengrabs of Eichenwald’s altered Wikipedia web page, which listed his date of demise as December sixteen, 2016 and his hometown as Jew York Metropolis, Jew York, based on the FBI, in addition to copies of Schutze’s article from the DallasObserver.

Kurt Eichenwald’s edited Wikipedia web page.

Northern District of Texas

A number of tweets from @jew_goldstein have been additionally saved in Rivello’s iCloud account.